Maintenance and welding—summer jobs in mechanical maintenance
Maintenance, preventative maintenance, and fun team spirit—these are what the summers of mechanical maintenance summer employees are made of. The summer employees, who come from different technical fields, work at Oulun Energia’s power plants in various maintenance, installation, and inspection jobs that ensure the reliable and safe operation of the plants.
This summer, Valtteri Tolonen, Elmeri Lehtinen, Johanna Seppänen, Joonas Keränen, and Taru Loponen are working in mechanical maintenance. Their immediate manager is summer supervisor Joni Erkkilä, who was also a summer employee in mechanical maintenance last year.
Although all of the summer employees under mechanical maintenance have the same title, there are still differences in their duties. Some of the duties are focused on lubrication maintenance, while others are on preventative maintenance and inspection work. “Loponen has worked with preventative maintenance, while Keränen and I have been working more on maintenance-related installation work on the plant’s machinery and equipment,” Seppänen says.
“There are a wide range of work duties here, but for my part, it’s usually lubricating bearings and chains, changing and adding oils, or maintaining automatic lubricators,” states Tolonen, who is focused on lubrication maintenance. “Sometimes I work with Tolonen on lubrication work, but occasionally part of my day is spent with various welding and metal work,” Lehtinen adds.
From maintenance to summer supervisor
Joni Erkkilä has enjoyed his time at Oulun Energia and is indeed currently working at the same place for the second summer in a row. However, his duties have changed since the previous summer, as Erkkilä, who previously worked in mechanical maintenance, is now the summer supervisor.
A summer supervisor, in addition to having supervisory duties, also reviews to-do lists and drafts work permits. In addition to organizing work, Erkkilä carries out inspections, supervises occupational safety, and also likes to help out on construction sites himself. “I like to work with
